Solving Capital Problems in Flight Schools With Big Circle Auctions

Hey there, Initiative-Takers! David Waller here, host of the Taking Initiative podcast, and I'm still buzzing from my recent conversation with my pilot friend and ABM leader, Travis Fairbairn of 30 West. We dove deep into a topic that, at first glance, seemed a bit... well, underwhelming. That word came straight from Travis himself when he first heard about it back in November. But fast forward to today, and it's all we can think about: Big Circle Auctions (BCA).

Travis and I, and frankly, anyone who's truly dug into BCA, have come to realize it's not just "another auction house". It's a revolutionary platform designed to solve one of the most fundamental problems across all businesses and personal endeavors: access to capital. As Travis so eloquently put it, if you had the money to solve a problem, it wouldn't be a problem in the first place.

What makes BCA so incredible is its unique "all pay" model. Unlike traditional auctions where only the winner pays, BCA ensures that nobody loses. This creates a powerful corporate capability that benefits everyone involved, fostering a community where members capitalize each other.

Today, I want to shine a spotlight on how this game-changing platform, BCA, can transform the aviation industry, particularly for flight schools and their aspiring students.

How Flight Schools Soar with Big Circle Auctions

Flight schools often face significant capital problems. Their income can be unreliable due to changing student schedules, weather, and aircraft maintenance. Airplanes are expensive to maintain, and students don't always finish their training, leading to missed revenue opportunities. But with BCA, we're talking about a complete paradigm shift:

• Upfront Capital Infusion: Imagine a flight school listing a private pilot's license on BCA for, say, $22,000. When a student wins, the flight school receives the entire amount paid upfront. This immediately provides crucial working capital for maintenance, upgrades, or growth, solving their common "expense and then income problem".

• Enhanced Profit Margins & Financial Resilience:

  • Flight schools can build in an extra spread (e.g., $2,000) on top of their normal training fees, increasing their revenue.

  • The listing fee the school pays (e.g., 2% to 5% of the item's value) is not only returned when the auction closes but they also receive an additional amount, effectively doubling their listing fee. Even if an auction doesn't close successfully, the flight school still gets their listing fee back plus a percentage (e.g., 20%) and secures monthly cash flow for years to come.

  • If their student wins, the flight school can also earn a 2% broker fee.

  • This creates multiple new income streams beyond just hourly instruction.

• "Mailbox Money" in the Off-Season: For flight schools, especially in regions with seasonal weather, there are often weeks of downtime. BCA allows them to create a system where a "bare minimum" income continues to flow in, even when training isn't happening. That's right, passive "mailbox money"!

• Unparalleled Competitive Edge & Marketing Power: Think about the marketing potential! A flight school can now tell the entire student market that they can offer the best financing available for flight training, often through their partnership with BCA and TCC. They bring their existing network, email lists, and students' family members to the platform, leveraging organic reach. In essence, they're getting paid to market, turning their marketing budget into a cash-flowing asset.

• Broader Business Expansion: The benefits don't stop at training. Through their activity on BCA, flight schools could potentially:

  • Finance new airplanes for their fleet.

  • Acquire the real estate they operate on, mirroring successful models like McDonald's.

  • Franchise and open new locations.

  • Even sell airplanes to their students and provide financing for those buyers, effectively taking on a banking function for their customers.

Students Take Flight with Unprecedented Financial Freedom

The cost of flight training can be a huge hurdle, often exceeding $100,000 for all ratings at larger schools, with students still owing the money even if they wash out. But BCA offers a revolutionary path for aspiring pilots:

• Bidding for Financial Gain, Not Loss: When a student and their family bid on a private pilot's license, their bids aren't "gone forever" like a raffle ticket. Instead, the money spent on bidding rounds is recorded as points on their TCC profile.

• Earn Interest & Get Your Money Back: These points aren't just for show. They earn 6.5% annualized interest, paid monthly – a rate far better than any high-yield savings account. Plus, students are on a timeline to get their money back in the future. So, even if they don't win the initial auction, they win interest and earnings!

• Access to Strategic, Low-Cost Loans: This is where it gets truly transformative. After participating in a minimum of six completed auctions over at least six months and accumulating just 5% of the desired loan amount in points, TCC members can request a strategic loan through their ABM, like Travis's team at 30 West Consulting.

  • These loans offer a monthly cost basis that is 25% less than conventional loans.

  • There's a unique system where a portion of payments is credited back every five years, which can then be used to pay down the principal, effectively satisfying the loan much faster than its amortization schedule (e.g., a 30-year amortized loan satisfied in 7 years).

• No Money "Leaves Your Economy": The beauty of this system is that any cash a student brings forward into the equation is ultimately on a timeline to be returned to them. Their flight training can, in essence, cost them nothing out of pocket in the long run.

This creates a win-win-win scenario for flight schools, students, and our entire TCC community. We're talking about a financial Swiss army knife that removes the bottlenecks of capital needs from existing business models, allowing for growth and innovation that was previously unimaginable.

I'm incredibly fired up about the potential here. If you're a business owner, an aspiring pilot, or just someone looking to solve capital problems in creative ways, BCA is a tool you need to understand.

Want to learn more and see how you can apply these revolutionary concepts to your own life or business?

Follow the Taking Initiative podcast on YouTube!

And if you're ready to explore your own limitless opportunities, don't hesitate to reach out: contact travis@30westconsulting.com

Capitol Building Partners blog posts authors are not employees of Capitol Building Partners, and are speaking from their own personal and individual understandings. None of our blog authors are attorneys or financial advisors and therefore are not giving you legal or financial advice. This post is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This post should not be taken as financial or legal advice or used as a substitute for such. You should always speak to your own financial consultant or attorney before implementing or taking any action on the information you read in our blog.